Bicycle Austin forum

Warren Ducote the driver of Ladder 16 has been blamed in the media for the accident before the investigation ever began. This may not be the case. Since then there have been a few revelations concerning the collision between Ladder 16 and Engine 7

#1 - Engine 7 did change the Opticom system turning Ladder 16's light from green to red. The investigating police officer confirmed the Opticom did time stamp. It was also discovered during the investigation by HFD that the Engine needed to be within 60 feet of the Opticom to activate. There was no Opticom in the direction of the ladder truck. Only the engine had an Opticom in its direction of travel. No one on either apparatus was aware that the Opticom system was only in one direction.

#2 - The lady in the white car after hiring an attorney stated that she was waiting at the red light and that the ladder truck ran the red light. After this statement was broadcast on local TV, both crew members on Ambulance 33 (the ambulance that transported this lady to the hospital) have both confirmed that this same lady on the day of the accident said that the ladder truck had a green light and that she had held up short of the light to give the ladder truck plenty of room to maneuver. If you look at the pictures of the accident scene, you will find that the white car is definitely several feet away from the intersection. Why would she be waiting at a red light this far from the intersection?

#3 – The HFD Office of Emergency Communications after downloading the GPS tracing information found that the Ladder 16 was traveling at 18 mph at the time of the collision.
This is 12mph below the speed limit.

#4 - The HFD Office of Emergency Communications after downloading the GPS tracing information found that Engine 7 was traveling at 52 mph before the time of the collision. This is 22 mph above the speed limit. HFD Rules and Regulations allow an emergency apparatus to exceed the speed limit by 10 mph. The speedometer on the Engine 7 froze at 46mph at the time of impact indicating some braking was applied.

#5 – At the above speeds and closure rates and the location of both apparatus at the time of impact, it could possibly be proven that Ladder 16 was already in the intersection before the Opticom system activated.

HFD has not yet finished its investigation.